ceaigie



(No ModeL) EL H CRAIGIE.

PIRE ESCAPE.

Patented 'maca/51893."

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, UNITED STATES HUGH H. CRAIGIE, OF

PrrrENT OFFICE.

srAME-CED, CONNECTICUT, AssIeNoE To JULIA CRAICIE, oE'sAME PLACE.

`Hue-ESCAPE.y

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 271,802, dated February t3, 1883.

Application filed March 15, 1882. (Np model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that Il, HUGH H. OEAIGIE, of Stamford, in the county of Fairfield` and Sta-te ot' Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Fire-Escapes, of which the following is aspecication.

My invention chieiiy aims to provide a system of tire-escapes which will not mar the front of a building or be observable thereon when not in use, but which will enable firemen, in case of tire, to rapidly and easily extend a series of sectional ladders from story to story along the line of the windows, whereby the occupants can find a safe and easy escape from the windows of the upper stories, with or with- Out the assistance of the remen.

To this end my invention embodies a number of novel features, the chietl of which consist in stationary hooks aiixed upon the front of the building iu relation with the windows, adapted to receive and suspend sectional ladders, which may be hooked thereupon by the firemen proceeding in successive order from the bottom to the upper stories, and which will thus enable` the firemen to ascend to the highest stories and rescue people from the windows, as hereinafter fully set forth.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l presents a front view of a corner building equipped with my tire-escape devices shown ready for use. Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of my improved chain-ladder. Figisafragmentary sectional elevation,illus trating the window-rail and a chain-ladder or escape-rope, which may be thrown out of the window from the interior to enable the occupant to descend thereby.

According to the leading feature of my invention I affix upon the front wall of the building aseries of hooks, a a, which project sufficiently to enable a ladder of any suitable kind to be `easily hooked over' and suspended-from the same. These hooks are strongly fastened to the brick-work or other material of the wall in any suitable manner, so as to be able to sustain 'the weight ot several persons or much more than they will ever be called on to sustain in actual use. These hooks are arranged in some position convenient to the windows,pref erably between two lines of windows, and each hook on about a level with the middle of the windows, as shown in Fig. l.

It will be readily seen that these hooks can be easily applied to the Wall of a building with little trouble and expense whether the building be old or in course of construction, and

that when thus affixed they will not mar the face of the building at all, but may, if desired, partake ot' the character of ornaments, or, on the other hand, may be made almost unobservable. It will benoted, however, that in case a rapid anddangerousre should occur in the building the firemen, as soon as they arrive,

can rapidly' extend a series of sectional rope or chain ladders, c c, from 'the bottom to the t-op ofthe building by suspension from the said hooks, as seen in Fig. l, by which the occupants can escape safely from the windows to thesidewalk.

The fireman, as will be readily understood, can be supplied with a number ot' the chainladders, which may be made both very light and strong, and which can be slung to his belt, andv with a light hooked-pole he can instantly slip the tirst section of ladderover the lower hook, and thence ascending by this to the second story he can suspend the second section from the second hook in the same way, and

thus proceed to the top of the building, thereby affordinga` safe escape from all the windows or stories.

To facilitate the exit of the occupants by the windows and their descent by the ladders,

I affix at the outside ofthe window, uponth'e wall or the window-Casin g, a strong hand-rail, b, preferably one on each side of the Window, by grasping 'which the occupants, whether men or women, can readily bracefthemselves Y uponthe window-sill without danger of fallv IOO hand has nothing to takehold of, as is the case on the exterior of ordinary windows. These rails will also be of great assistance to the firemen in getting in or out by the windows, and even when ordinary ladders are placed up to the windows the rails will be of service in enabling the firemen to lash or brace the ladders in more firm position. These rails, like the hooks a a, will be inexpensive, and may ofcourse be easily affixed to the building, whether new or old, and will not mar the building, but may rather be made to look ornamental, and they may be yaffixed to the inside of the window arch or opening, or to the outer face of the wall close to the edge of the window-opening, both of which arrangements are shown in Fig. 1. The hooks a a are so placed at the different stories that .the ladders c c, when suspended therefrom, will hang a little to one side of each other at the meeting ends, and it will be readily understood that when the fireman has hung the ladders he can assist the persons at the windows to descend bythe ladders, or by some other or auxiliary lowering or escape apparatus, and for this reason the chain-ladders c c are provided at suitable intervals with large rings d d,V through which the fireman can pass his left arm, while his foot rests in one of the links of the ladder, thus leaving his left hand partially free, and his right hand and arm entirely free to reach persons at the windows, and thus assist them upon the ladders, or to operate Sonie lowering device by which they may be lowered from the window tothe sidewalk. For this latter purpose he may carry a coil of rope attached to his belt, by which he can lower a feeble person to the ground; but I prefer to provide a belt or slide, c, made of canvas or other suitable web, rendered tire-proof by suitable treatment, which may be drawn up by the firemen after having hung the ladders. which belt may be hooked to and suspended from the hand -rails b b, and thence trailed to the ground. A pulley, f, may also be drawn up and hooked over the top of one 'of the hand-rails, the pulley being provided with a brake-lever, g, pressing at one end upon the sheave and projecting at the other end for manipulation, and also provided with an endless loweringrope, h', which descends to the ground, the descending side ofthe rope passing loosely over the belt c, while the ascending side passes through rings on the edge of thebelt, as shown in Fig..1. .lt may now be seen that one or two firemen on'the sidewalk can seize the end of the belt e and hold it'out from the building, so as to form an inclined slide from the upper window to the ground, while another fireman, standing on the ladder c, withhis arm through one ofthe rings d, as before stated, can grasp the brake-leverg of the pulley. The person seeking escape at the window can now get out upon the sill onto the slide e, and seizing the descendingside ofthe lowering-rope h, can thus slide safely down the same tothe ground, the fireman on the ladder regulating the speed of e Y v 27h80.!

thereto are provided with either hooks or eyes,

- asA will be understood. Where'the hand-rails are thus provided with hooks the special hooks a a might be` dispensed with and the chainladders c c suspended from the hand-rails; but 'I preferto provide both devices.

The slide-belt e is preferably made in sections, hooked together as shown, so that it may be readily extended to any length required, and the lowering-rope h is also preferably made in sections joined by snap-hooks, so that it may be similarly extended, and lthe block of the pulley fwill preferably be formed with a slot on the side through which the rope Amay be passed over the sheave, in order to enable the apparatus to be easily and quickly rigged when required.

The chain-ladders, which I prefer to use and which I- have illustrated, are of novel construction, as will now appear. As -shown best in Fig. 2, the ladder consists of a series of stirrop-shaped links, c', preferably of triangular form, with the apex'of one joined to the base ofthe other in any suitable manner, preferably by a small intermediate link, c, of oblong shape, which tits into a small bend in the middle of the base of each stirrup-link. Each stirrup-link is preferably ofequilateral form, about eight inches on the side, and the stirrup-links c', the intermediate links, c, as well as the arm-rings d, are made of' stout steel wire, so as to be able to support a great weight, and yet be very light and compact.

Ladders thus madeinsections will be very simple, strong, and light, and a number of them may be' carried by one fireman and may be suspended upon the front of a building in successive order from the hooks a a, as already described, in a very quick and safe manner, as will be readily appreciated.

I also recommend providing` each window or each story with a chain-ladder of the described kind, which may be contained iu a box on the inside of the building, below the window-sill, as seen best in Fig. 3, the chain being of sufficient length to reach the ground, one end being fixed in the box or to the wall, while the other is free to be thrown out of the window, as seen in Fig. 1, by which the occupant can instantlyand safely descend in case of necessity. This form of fire-escape I do not of course claim as novel; but my improved form of chain-ladder is very well adapted for this form of escape, and I prefer to provide the box which holds the chain with a lid, k, hinged in two sections, as seen in Fig., 2, so that when thrown open it will bend overand clear the window-sill and incline out ofthe window, as shown. Y

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271,802A y' a Upon the under side of the lid Vis fixed two outwardly-pointing hooks, l, under which `a bar,m, on the free end of th'e chain, ispassed, so that the mere act of opening `the lid brings out the end of the chain and allows it to freely run out of the box to the ground, as will be' understood, thus ,avoiding all entanglement and loss of time in shipping the ladder.

` It will be readily understood that it is not at all essential that the points of support a a for thesectional ladders be formed as regular hooks, such as they have been through preference described and illustrated, for eyes or other suitable sockets or supports would be the precise equivalents ofthe books'and would serre the same purpose, provided that, in case eyes were used on the building, hooks were used on the ends of the ladders to engage therewith; but a regular form of hook is preferable, as illustrated.

I do not broadly claim a hook affixed to the external wall of abuilding with a chain-ladder suspended therefrom, as this is old and WeILhnoWn; but the chief novelty of my invention lies in the series of hooks or other points ot' support arranged in relation with the windows at the several stories with a corresponding series ofA sectional ladders,each

section being equal in length to the respective stories, or nearly so, and with a hand pole or hook for hanging said ladders onto the hooks, whereby the"irenien, from the ground, may, inan easy and rapid manner, extend a series of rescue or escupe ladders over the entire front of a buil-ding, no matter how large orhigh,

-by thus proceeding in a successive manner Vfrom point to point, which has not been heretofore proposed,and which is believed to form an important improvementin fire-escape systems or apparatus. l

What I claim is l. A fire-escape system or apparatus coning series of sectional ladders or ladder-seci tions equal in length to the respective stories, or nearly so, and a hand pole or hook,whereby the fireman or other person proceeding from the ground may, by the aid of the pole, hang .the first section of ladder from the firststory hook and thence proceed thereby to the second story, and continue in the same manner to the upper stories, as far as required, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. In a fire-escape system for the exteriorof buildings, the combination, with a series of sectional chain-ladders, 4of a series of elon gated hand-rails afxed to the exterior of the windows, adapted for the attachment ot' the chain-ladders thereto, and to assist in ingress and egress thereby, substantially 'as herein shown and described. t

3. The hand-rails b, provided with hooks or eyes fi affixed on the front of a building at the exterior of the window, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A iireescape ladder provided with one or more arm-rings,"d d, at intervals thereon, `substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A fire-escape apparatus consisting in thev combination, with a ladder or support for the firemen at theside of or adjacent to the window, ofa pulley and lowering-rope hung near the same `and trailing to the ground, and a braking device,whereby the reman is enabled ,to regulate the descent ot' the. rope through the pulley, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. l

HUGH H. CRAIGIE.

Witnesses:

Cans. M. Hiereifns,

M. J. LEONARD. 

